Smoker&#39;s accessory



PI'W 4.

Sept. 6 1955 M. F. COMSTOCK 2,716,988

SMOKERS ACCESSORY Filed Oct' 30, 1953 INVEN TOR. M/LLARD E COMSTOCA BYWM,MY@W,

United States Patent SMOKERS.ACCESSORY Millard F.-Comstock,Fort E-rieflntario, Canada Application October-30,1953, Serial No. 389,435

'4Claims. '(Cl. 131-242) The invention relates generally to smokersaccessories and more particularly to an improved cigarette tray and buttdisposal unit.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a cigarette buttdisposal unit which is equipped with a cigarette holder rack having buttclearing means operable incidental to closing of a cover of the unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved cigarette buttdisposal unit of the aforesaid type which is relatively simple andinexpensive to make by mass production methods.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thespecification hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevational view, partly in section, of thedevice of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing a detail of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown a container of generallyrectangular open top form comprising opposite end portions 12, oppositeside portions 14 and a bottom portion 16 as shown in Fig. 2. Thecontainer 10 may be formed from any suitable material such as forexample, of a suitable heat-resistant plastic by an injection moldingprocess, or the like.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the container 10 is fitted with a duo-sectioncover 18 comprising hinged sections 20 and 22 having laterally extendingmarginal edge portions adapted to snugly embrace the upper and outersides of the container when mounted in a closed position thereon. Thesection 20 is preferably arranged to be relatively wider than thesection 22 whereby these sections will be hinged along a linesubstantially offset from the longitudinal axis of the container 10 asindicated at 24. Thus, the outer edge portion of the cover section 20will overlap and protrude beyond the outer edge of the cover section 22toprovide-a finger catch portion as when the cover section 20 rests inits open" position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, for convenience inflipping the lid into closed position. The hinge 24 may be formed as iswell known by aligning a plurality of radially bent end portions 26 ofthe inner sides of the cover in intermeshed contiguous relation and thenfitting a stiif wire to extend therethrough having its end portionsenlarged to maintain the hinged relation.

A particular feature of the invention is to provide a cigarette holderrack 28 in fixed relation with the inner edge portion of the inside faceof the cover section 20. The rack 28 is formed with a right-angularcross-section having a flange 30 fixed as aforesaid to the cover and aflange 32 extending laterally away therefrom and being provided with aseries of spaced cigarette receiving slots 34. The slots 34 may be cutinto the edge of the member 28 so that the side walls thereof will beuniformly spaced to have press-fitted therebetween a cigarette 36 asshown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus, it will be appreciated 2,716,?! PatentedSept. 6, 1955 that-the rack 28 may be usedto hold .a cigarettetemporarily deposited in one-ofits slots 34 without-danger of having itaccidentally when a table or floor as'is' the case with some ash'trays.Furthermore,'if the 'unit is left unattendeda lit cigarette mountedtherein will burn itself back to the rack 28"and go out or fall into theinside cover area of thecover section 20*from whence it will not rollout, whereasthe-ashes formedduring-burning. of the :cigarette portionforwardly -=of the rack 28 simply willifallxintoithe container lo.

-As shown in Figs l, :2 and ..3,.1a.-.ci.garette:.butt clearing device38 is fixed toythe ;inside :edgecpor-tion.oftherinside face of the coversection 22 as by means of a flange portion 40 thereof. The device 38 isformed to have a portion 42 bent laterally of the flange 40 so as to besubstantially in the plane of the flange 32 and then is bent laterallyof the portion 42 into a rack-clearing comb portion 44 extending beyondthe cover portion 22 and providing a plurality of spaced teeth or lugs46 to extend therefrom and being arranged to intermesh between the sidewall portions of the slots 34 incidental to pivoting of the coversection 20 into its closed position. Thus, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,any cigarette butts 36 carried by the rack 28 will be automaticallycleared therefrom incidental to closing of the cover section 20 byvirtue of the butts being pressed out of the slots 34 by the lugs 46 soas to fall into the container 10 in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

It will be appreciated, of course, that the device of the invention willserve as a large capacity improved ash tray in that lit cigarettes willnot accidentally roll out of the unit to cause a fire hazard and a messyash dispersal condition in the vicinity thereof. In addition, shortcigarette butts may be cleared from the rack by simply closing thehinged cover section 20 to cleanly deposit the cigarette remains in thecontainer 10 without possibility of injury to the smoker. Andfurthermore, the 'hereinabove described hinged cover portions 20 and 22are arranged to be easily detached by simply lifting them. off as a unitfrom the container 10 as for example to provide easy access to the partsof the unit for cleaning purposes.

Therefore, it will be understood that although only one particular formof the invention has been shown and described in detail it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not solimited but that various changes may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A cigarette butt and ash receiver unit comprising a generally opentop container, a cover device comprising a pair of hingedlyinterconnected cover portions adapted to be mounted upon the top of saidcontainer, a cigarette holder rack including spaced lugs protruding fromthe inside face of one of said cover portions, and a rack clearingdevice extending from the inside face of the other of said coverportions; said rack clearing device having a plurality of spaced lugsadapted to intermesh with the lugs of said rack when said cover portionsare disposed in container-closing position.

2. In a cigarette smokers accessory, an ash receiver having relativelyhinged removable cover portions, rack members fixed to the bottom facesof said cover portions at opposite sides of the hinge connectiontherebetween, said rack members each having a plurality of lug portionsprotruding therefrom in spaced relation and being arranged to intermeshwhen said cover portions are swung into receiver-closing position onsaid receiver.

3. A cigarette butt and ash receptacle comprising a generally open topcontainer, duo-section cover portions having laterally downwardlyextending marginal rim portions adapted to snugly embrace the upper edgeportions of said container when in closed positionQsaid cover portionsbeing hinged at their abutting edges, a cigarette holder rack attachedto the inner face of one of said cover portions and being substantiallycoextensive with and spaced slightly inwardly from the inside edgethereof, and a rack clearing means depending from the lower face of theother of said cover portions and being substantially coextensive withand spaced slightly inwardly from the inside edge thereof; said rackshaving a plurality of spaced lugs adapted to intermesh with each otherwhen said cover portions are in closed position.

4. In a cigarette smoking box, a cover having relatively hingedremovable cover portions having depending marginal edges adapted tooverhang the edges of the box opening, rack members fixed to theundersides of the cover portions along opposite sides of the hingeconnection therebetween and each having a plurality of lug portionsprotruding therefrom in spaced relation substantially coextensive withsaid hinge connection, said lug portions of said rack members beingarranged to intermesh incidental to closing of said cover when inmounted position on said box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiT ED STATES PATENTS1,045,176 Piper Nov. 26, 1912 1,104,004 Rathbone July 21, 1914 1,872,356Stevenson, Jr. Aug. 16, 1932 2,068,513 Reimer Jan. 19, 1937

